Boot or shoe finishing machine.



N0. "69%054. Patented Dec. 3|, I90l.

W. GORDON. BOUT 0R SHOE FINISHING MACHINE.

(Application filed Jan. 14, 1901.)

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' Patented De'c. 3|, I901; W. GORDON.

BOOT 0R SHOE FINISHING MACHINE.

(Application filed Jan. 14, 1901.)

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States Patent Fries.

\VILLIAM GORDON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORA- TION OF NEIV JERSEY.

BOOT OR-SI-IOE FINISHING MACHINE.

SPEGIFIGATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 690,054, dated December 31, 1901.

Application filed January 14, 1901. Serial No. 43,203. (No model.)

To a-ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that LWVILLIAM GORDON, a oi t izen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Finishing Boots or Shoes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable oth- 1O ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to a machine for finishing boots and shoes.

In the manufacture of boots and shoes, and

w. 5 particularly in the manufacture of the higher grades, it is customary to rub down or hammer the upper just above the heel to impart a smooth and finished appearance to this portion of the shoe. This is rendered necessary,

2: as it is impossible to stretch the upper over the edge of the heel portion of the sole in the lasting operation so that no irregularities will appear in the upper at this point in the completed shoe. Heretofore, so far as I am advised as to the state of the art, this operation has usually been performed by hand by means of a blunt chisel-like instrument and a mallet or hammer. This manual operation is laborious and slow and adds appreciably to the cost of manufacture.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine for performing this operation whereby boots and shoes can be rapidly finished as satisfactorily as with the best handwork and a material saving in the cost of manufacture effected.

\Vith this object in view my invention consists in providinga tool shaped to bear against the upper at the edge of the heel portion of the sole, a shoe-support for supporting the shoe while acted upon by the tool, said tool and shoe-support being relatively movable to transfer the point of application of the tool around the heelportion of the shoe,and means 5 for relatively actuatingthe tool and support to produce pressure during the operation of the tool. The form of tool which I prefer is rotatable and is provided with afiange to enter the crease between the heel and upper and with a surface shaped to bear against the upper at the edge of the heel portion of the sole, and such tool constitutes a feature of my invention.

My invention also consists in the devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

A preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view in side elevation of a ma- 6o chine embodying the same. Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the upper part of the machine shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the shoe-support and the parts relating thereto on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a View of the finishing-tool.

The frarne of the machine, which may be of any suitable construction, is herein shown as consisting of two vertical webs 1 and 2 at right angles to each other, supported on a base 3 and connected at their upper ends by transverse Webs 4 and 5. Adjustably supported in the upper portion of the frame is a standard 6, which slides in guideways formed by openings in the webs 4 and 5 and is clamped in position by a clampingscrew 7. (See Fig. 2.) A bracket 8 is secured to the top of standard 6, and an arm 9 is secured to the bottom of the standard. A bracket 10 conmeets the arm 9 with the top of standard 6. The tool and shoe-support are supported so as to move with the standard 6, whereby an adjustment of the standard adjusts the tool and support to the height of the operator.

My invention contemplates a tool shaped to bear against the upper of a shoe at the edge of the heel portion of the sole, a shoe-support for supporting the shoe while acted upon by the tool, said tool and shoe-support being relao tively movable to transfer the point of application of the tool around the heel portion of the shoe, and means for relatively actuating the tool and support to produce pressure during the operation of the tool. The tool may 5 be of any desired construction. The tool and shoe-support may be arranged in any desired manner to allowa relative movement to transfer the point of operation of the tool around the heel portion of the shoe, and any suitable loo means may be employed for producing pressure during the operation of the tool. 7

The form of tool which I prefer is shown in the drawings at 11 and consists of a rotary disk or roller provided with a flange 12 to enter the crease between the heel and upper of'a shoe and serve as a guide, and a surface 13, shaped to bear against the upper at the edge of the heel portion of the sole. This tool is free to rotate and is driven by contact with the shoeupper, whereby any rubbing action and consequent injury to the surface of the upper, which might result if the tool were driven positively, is prevented. In the machine shown in the drawings the tool 11 is rotatably mounted in fixed bearings in the bracket 8, and the relative movement of the tool and support to transfer the point of application of the tool around the heel portion of the shoe is secured by mounting the shoe-support to move relatively to the tool. Also the relative movement of the tool and support to produce pressure during the operation of the tool is secured by providing means for moving the shoe-support toward the tool when, as in the machine of the drawings, the shoe-support is mounted to move relatively to the tool to transfer the point of application of the tool around the heel portion of the shoe and it is desirable to keep the point of application in a substantially fixed plane. By this means the point of application is always kept substantially in the line of pressure, the swinging movement of the shoe-support is diminished, and the point of application is always visible to the workman. These advantages will be more apparent when the specific construction shown in the drawings for accomplishing this result is understood.

In the machine shown in the drawings the shoe-support, the construction for allowing.

the support to be moved to transfer the point of application of the tool around the heel portion of the shoe, and the means for actuating the support to produce pressure during the operation of the tool are substantially the same as the corresponding parts of the machine disclosed in the application of Howard W. Gould and myself for a heel-beading machine, Serial No. 24,755, filed July 25, 1900.

The shoe-support is represented at 14 and consists of a block provided with stationary clamping-jaws 15 and a movable clampingjaw 16, the jaws being arranged to clamp and securely hold the heel of a shoe, the jaws 15 engaging the back and the movable jaw 16 engaging the breast of the heel. The movable jaw 16 slides in suitable guideways in the block 14 and is pressed upwardly by coiled springs 17, seated in holes bored in the body portion of the jaw and resting on adjustingscrews 18, passing upwardly through a crossbar 19,.forming the lower end of the block 14. To the back of the sliding jaw 16 is secured a toothed bar 20, with the teeth of which a pawl or pawls 21, pivoted in lugs extending rearwardly from the block 14, are adapted to engage to lock the jaw 16 in position after it has been moved by the springs 17 to engage the heel of a shoe. The pawls are normally pressed into engagement with the toothed bar by means of coiled springs 22, interposed between the lower end of the pawls and the block 14. The lower end of the bar 20 extends rearwardly and then upwardly to form an engaging projection 23, the function of which will be hereinafter described. The plate 24, secured to the horizontal portion of the bar 20, extending downwardly therefrom, serves as a support for the fore part of the shoe.

The shoe-support is mounted so as to be moved relativelyto the tool to transfer the point of application of the tool around the heel portion of the shoe by means of the following construction: To the rear side of the block 14 is secured a U-shaped block 25,

in which is pivotally mounted a block 26,

which is also pivotally mounted at the end of a rod 27, the pivot-pins which pass through the block 26 being disposed at right angles to each other, the construction,in effect,forming a universal joint between the block 14 and the rod 27. The rod 27 constitutesalaterally-movable carrier for the shoe-support and is mounted to slide freely in the sleeve 28 of a pinion 29, mounted to rotate in bearings in the upper end of avertically-movable support 30. The sliding connection between the sleeve 28 and the rod 27 allows the shoesupport to be moved laterally to bring the crease betweenthe upper and heel of a shoe supported on the shoe-support in line with the flange 12 of the finishing-tool. As a convenient means for reducing friction the rod 27 and sleeve 28 are provided with grooves, which receive antifriction-balls 31.

The construction so far described allows the shoe-support to be moved laterally to bring the shoe in position to be operated upon by thetool, to be rotated about the axis of the rod 27 to transfer the point of application of the tool around the heel portion of the shoe, and to be tilted to present the shoe to the tool at the desired angle. The axis of the rod 27 is substantially in the center of the heel, and it will be evident that if this axis remains stationary the point of application of the tool will vary from a fixed plane that is, with the shoe-support in the position shown in Fig. 1, in which the fore part of the shoe is down, the point of application of the tool will be below the plane passing through the axes of the tool and rod 27, being in its lowest position when the tool is acting on the upper opposite the breast of the heel, and when the shoe-supporthas been turned to bring the tool in contact with the upper opposite the breast of the heel on the other side the point of application of the tool will be above the plane passing through the axes of the tool and rod 27. Since the shoe-support is forced against the tool to produce pres sure during the operation of the tool by ICE means which will be hereinafter described, it will be seen that the point of application of the tool will be out of the line of effective pressure which passes through the axis of the tool when the tool is acting on the upper in proximity to the breast of the heel. Moreover, it will be seen that in order to transfer the point of application of the tool around the heel portion of the shoe the shoe-support must be turned through considerably more than one hundred and eighty degrees, or, in effect, through three-fourths of a com plete revolution. The result of this is that when the shoe-support is swung into a position in which the fore part of the shoe is up the shoe screens the-point of application of the tool and the workman is unable to observe the effect of the tool on the upper.

It is therefore desirable to keep the point of application of the tool in substantially a fixed plane, and the machine of the drawings is provided with means for accomplishing this result. These means are constructed as follows: The support 30 is mounted to slide vertically in the frame 32, pivoted at its lower end on a rod 33, securely clamped, by means of a clamping-screw 34, to the arm 9. To the upper end of the frame 32 is secured a rackbar 35, which meshes with the pinion 29. The sleeve 28 is connected to the rod 27, so as to rotate therewith by the balls 31. By this construction as the shoe 4 support is swung about the axis of the rod 27 the pinion 29 is rotated and travels along the rack 35, thereby moving the support 30 vertically and shifting the axis of rod 27. The parts are. so arranged that when the shoe-support is in the position shown in Fig. 1, with the fore part of the shoe down, the support 30 is in its highest position, and as the shoe-support is rotated about the axis of the rod 27 the'support 30 is lowered, so that when the shoe-support has been swung through an angle of one hundred and eighty degrees the support 30 is in its lowest position and the axis of the rod 27 has been lowered sufficiently to bring the upper opposite the breast of the heel into contact with the tool. By thus moving the axis about which the shoe -support turns the point of application of the tool is maintained in substantially a fixed plane and substantially in the line of pressure. The pressure thus acts to the best possible advantage at all times. Also by so moving the axis the point of application of the tool is transferred around the heel portion of the shoe during a half-revolution of the shoe-support, and consequently the point of application of the tool is visible to the workman at all times. As a means for normally holding the support 30 in its raised position and for relieving the rack and pinion from the weight of the support 30 and from the weight of the shoe-support a spring 36 is provided, the upper end of which is seated in a hole bored in the support 30 and the lower end of which bears against a fixed portion of the frame 32.

In the construction shown in the drawings the frame 32 is swung about the pivot-rod 33 to produce pressure during the operation of the tool by means of a bell-crank lever 37, pivoted to the bracket 10, one arm of said lever connecting, by means of the link 38, with a pin 39, secured to the frame 32, and the other arm of said lever connecting, by means of an adjustable rod 40, with a foottreadle 41. The lower end of the frame 32 is forked to provide a bearing at each side of the clamp which secures the rod 33 to the arm 9. By unscrewing the bolt 34 the rod 33 can be released and the frame 32 adjusted laterally with relation to the finishing-tool.

42 designates a slide mounted to reciprocate in guideways on the frame 32. The upper end of this slide is provided with an outwardly and downwardly extending portion 43, which when the slide 42 is depressed is arranged to engage the upwardly-extending projection 23 of the bar 20 and move the shoesupport laterally and thereafter to engage the lower ends of pawls 21 to disengage them from the teeth of the bar 20 and then by engaging the horizontal portion of bar 20 to depress the clamping-jaw 16 against the tension of springs 17. As the slide 42 rises the pawls 21 are held out of locking engagement with the bar 20 until the upward movement of the clamping-jaw 16 is stopped by contact with the breast of the heel, and thereafter the pawls are released and allowed to engage the teeth of bar 20 to lock the clamping-jaw in position. A hand-lever 44, pivoted to the frame 32 and having a pin-'and-slot connection with the lower end of slide 42, serves as a convenient means for actuating the slide.

The mode of operation of the machine above described has already been sufficiently indicated, and a separate description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. A boot and shoe finishing machine, having, in combination, a tool shaped to bear against the upper at the edge of the heel portion of the sole, a shoe-support for supporting the shoe while acted upon by the tool, and a treadle and suitable connections for relatively actuating the tool and shoe-support to produce pressure during the operation of the tool, substantially as described.

2. A boot and shoe finishing machine, having, in combination, a shoe-support, a tool shaped to bear against the upper at the edge of the heel portion of the sole, said tool and support being relatively movable to transfer the point of application of the tool around the heel portion of the shoe and means for relatively actuating the tool and shoe-support to produce pressure during the operation of the tool, substantially as described.

3. A boot and shoe finishing machine, having, in combination, a tool shaped to bear against the upper at the edge of the heel portion of the sole, a shoe-support movable to transfer the point of application of the tool around the heel portion of the shoe and to maintain said point in a substantially fixed plane, and means for relatively actuating the tool and shoe-support to produce pressure during the operation of the tool, substantially as described.

4. A boot and shoe finishing machine, having, in combination, a tool shaped to bear against the upper at the edge of the heel portion of the sole, ashoe-support movable to transfer the point of application of the tool around the heel portion of the shoe and movable to bring the upper at the edge of the heel portion of the sole in contact with the tool, and means for actuating the support to produce pressure during the operation of the tool, substantially as described.

5. A rotatable tool for finishing boots and shoes provided with a flange to enter the crease between the upper and heel of a shoe and a surface to bear against the upper at the edge of the heel portion of the sole, substantially as described.

6. A boot and shoe finishing machine, having, in combination, a tool shaped to bear against the upper at the edge of the heel portion of the sole, a pivotally-mounted shoesupport, means actuated by the movement of the shoe-support about its pivot to move said pivot to maintain the point of application of the tool in a substantially fixed plane and means for relatively actuating the tool and shoe-support to produce pressure during the operation of the tool, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM GORDON.

Witnesses:

ALFRED H. HILDRETH, FRED O. FISH.

ions in Letters Patent No. 690,054.

Correct It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 690,054, granted December 81, 1901, upon the application of XVilliam Gordon, of Boston, Massachusetts, for an improvement in Boot or Shoe Finishing Machines, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: Page 2, line 25, after the Word tool a period should be inserted and the following-Word? when should commence with a capital,

making a new sentence, and same page, line 29, the Word and should be stricken out; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 21st day of January, A. D., 1902.

F. L. CAMPBELL, Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

[SEAL] Countersigned F. I. ALLEN,

Commissioner of Patents. 

